US20240209920A1 - Drive transmission mechanism and recording apparatus including drive transmission mechanism - Google Patents
Drive transmission mechanism and recording apparatus including drive transmission mechanism Download PDFInfo
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- US20240209920A1 US20240209920A1 US18/391,535 US202318391535A US2024209920A1 US 20240209920 A1 US20240209920 A1 US 20240209920A1 US 202318391535 A US202318391535 A US 202318391535A US 2024209920 A1 US2024209920 A1 US 2024209920A1
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Images
Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J13/00—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, specially adapted for supporting or handling copy material in short lengths, e.g. sheets
- B41J13/009—Diverting sheets at a section where at least two sheet conveying paths converge, e.g. by a movable switching guide that blocks access to one conveying path and guides the sheet to another path, e.g. when a sheet conveying direction is reversed after printing on the front of the sheet has been finished and the sheet is guided to a sheet turning path for printing on the back
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J13/00—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, specially adapted for supporting or handling copy material in short lengths, e.g. sheets
- B41J13/02—Rollers
- B41J13/03—Rollers driven, e.g. feed rollers separate from platen
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H5/00—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines
- B65H5/06—Feeding articles separated from piles; Feeding articles to machines by rollers or balls, e.g. between rollers
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H1/00—Toothed gearings for conveying rotary motion
- F16H1/02—Toothed gearings for conveying rotary motion without gears having orbital motion
- F16H1/20—Toothed gearings for conveying rotary motion without gears having orbital motion involving more than two intermeshing members
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H55/00—Elements with teeth or friction surfaces for conveying motion; Worms, pulleys or sheaves for gearing mechanisms
- F16H55/02—Toothed members; Worms
- F16H55/06—Use of materials; Use of treatments of toothed members or worms to affect their intrinsic material properties
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H2403/00—Power transmission; Driving means
- B65H2403/40—Toothed gearings
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H55/00—Elements with teeth or friction surfaces for conveying motion; Worms, pulleys or sheaves for gearing mechanisms
- F16H55/02—Toothed members; Worms
- F16H55/06—Use of materials; Use of treatments of toothed members or worms to affect their intrinsic material properties
- F16H2055/065—Moulded gears, e.g. inserts therefor
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H57/00—General details of gearing
- F16H57/04—Features relating to lubrication or cooling or heating
- F16H57/042—Guidance of lubricant
- F16H57/0427—Guidance of lubricant on rotary parts, e.g. using baffles for collecting lubricant by centrifugal force
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16H—GEARING
- F16H57/00—General details of gearing
- F16H57/04—Features relating to lubrication or cooling or heating
- F16H57/048—Type of gearings to be lubricated, cooled or heated
- F16H57/0493—Gearings with spur or bevel gears
- F16H57/0495—Gearings with spur or bevel gears with fixed gear ratio
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a drive transmission mechanism included in an image recording apparatus.
- the drive transmission mechanism also includes a support member having a fixing shaft that slides while holding the transmission member.
- a lubricant such as grease is applied to a sliding portion.
- a groove that holds a lubricant is provided in a region (hereinafter referred to as a biasing region) where the transmission member is biased to the fixing shaft at the time of power transmission to suppress depletion of the lubricant, thereby suppressing abrasion.
- a biasing region a region where the transmission member is biased to the fixing shaft at the time of power transmission to suppress depletion of the lubricant, thereby suppressing abrasion.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a technology that can ensure slidability between a transmission member and a support member supporting the transmission member in a drive transmission mechanism and suppress abrasion.
- a drive transmission mechanism used in a recording apparatus of the present invention includes:
- a drive transmission mechanism used in the recording apparatus of the present invention includes:
- a recording apparatus of the present invention includes:
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image recording apparatus in a first embodiment
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a conveying portion of the image recording apparatus in the first embodiment
- FIGS. 3 A to 3 D are diagrams each illustrating a registration adjustment operation in the image recording apparatus in the first embodiment
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a drive member in the first embodiment
- FIGS. 5 A and 5 B are perspective views each illustrating a configuration of a drive transmission mechanism in the first embodiment
- FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the drive transmission mechanism in the first embodiment
- FIGS. 7 A and 7 B are front views each illustrating an operation of the drive transmission mechanism in the first embodiment
- FIGS. 8 A and 8 B are enlarged views illustrating the operation of the drive transmission mechanism in the first embodiment
- FIGS. 9 A and 9 B are perspective view and a cross sectional view each illustrating a configuration of a drive transmission mechanism in a second embodiment
- FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a base in the second embodiment
- FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a drive transmission mechanism in a third embodiment
- FIGS. 12 A and 12 B are perspective views each illustrating a configuration of a drive transmission mechanism in a fourth embodiment.
- FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the drive transmission mechanism in the fourth embodiment.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an inner configuration of an image recording apparatus M including a drive transmission mechanism in the present embodiment.
- the image recording apparatus is an ink jet printer as a liquid-ejection recording apparatus.
- the image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment is an apparatus that ejects ink as a recording liquid to a recording medium such as a recording sheet to record an image on the recording medium.
- the image recording apparatus to which the present invention is applicable is not limited to the recording apparatus described above, and examples thereof also include a laser printer, which is an electrophotographic image recording apparatus (image forming apparatus), and the like.
- the image recording apparatus M is a composite machine including a print portion and a scanner portion (not shown) disposed above the print portion, and various processing related to an image recording operation and to a reading operation can be performed individually or in conjunction by the print portion and the scanner portion.
- the scanner portion includes an ADF (auto document feeder) and a FBS (flat bed scanner), and can perform reading of a document automatically fed by the ADF and reading (scanning) of the document placed on a document glass of the FBS by a user.
- ADF auto document feeder
- FBS flat bed scanner
- the print portion includes the following configuration including a first sheet feeding portion 1 and a second sheet feeding portion 2 on which the user loads the recording medium, a conveying portion 3 that accurately conveys the recording medium fed by each of the sheet feeding portions, a recording portion 4 that records an image on the recording medium conveyed by the conveying portion 3 , a sheet discharge portion 8 on which the recording medium having the image recorded thereon and discharged is to be loaded, and the like.
- the sheet discharge portion 8 includes a recording medium loading portion 81 and an extended tray 82 that can be withdrawn from the image recording apparatus M so as to be able to support the recording medium even when the recoding medium has a large size.
- the print portion further includes a maintenance portion 5 that performs maintenance of the recording portion 4 and a drive portion 6 that uses a drive from a conveyance motor 31 configured in the conveying portion 3 to switch and transmit the drive to any of the first sheet feeding portion 1 , the second sheet feeding portion 2 , and the maintenance portion 5 . All of these units are connected to a base 7 to configure the print portion.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the conveying portion 3 of the image recording apparatus M in the present embodiment.
- the conveyance motor 31 as a single drive source is connected (drive-connected) to a conveyance roller 32 via a drive train 26 .
- the conveyance roller 32 can rotate in a direction (hereinbelow referred to as reverse rotation or a reverse rotation direction) reverse to a rotation direction (hereinbelow referred to as normal rotation or a normal rotation direction) in which a sheet P as the recording medium is conveyed in a conveyance direction according to a rotation direction of the conveyance motor 31 .
- An intermediate roller 28 is connected (drive-connected) to the conveyance roller 32 via a drive train 27 .
- a unidirectional rotation mechanism described later which includes a combination of a unidirectional clutch 72 and a unidirectional clutch 73 is disposed.
- Rotation input from an intermediate input gear 61 is passed through the unidirectional rotation mechanism to allow only a drive in the rotation direction illustrated in FIG. 2 to be transmitted to an intermediate roller input gear 66 irrespective of a rotation direction of the intermediate input gear 61 .
- the intermediate roller 28 rotates in the rotation direction (hereinbelow referred to as the normal rotation) illustrated in FIG. 2 in which the sheet P is conveyed in the conveyance direction.
- FIGS. 3 A to 3 D are diagrams illustrating a registration adjustment operation in the image recording apparatus M in the present embodiment.
- the sheet P fed by the sheet feeding roller 25 provided in the sheet feeding portion 2 is conveyed in the conveyance direction by rotation of a roller pair including the intermediate roller 28 and a driven roller 29 that receives a biasing force to come into contact with the intermediate roller 28 .
- the conveyance roller 32 (second roller) is reversely rotated, while the intermediate roller 28 (first roller) is normally rotated.
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the drive portion 6 of the image recording apparatus M in the present embodiment.
- the drive from the conveyance motor 31 serving as the drive source is transmitted to the drive portion 6 via a conveyance roller output gear 33 that rotates integrally with the conveyance roller 32 .
- a drive transmission mechanism 60 included in the drive portion 6 and described later a drive force from the conveyance motor 31 serving as the drive source is transmitted via the conveying portion 3 including the conveyance roller 32 and the conveyance roller output gear 33 .
- the drive portion 6 includes, as the drive transmission mechanism 60 , a transmission member 631 that meshes with the conveyance roller output gear 33 as well as a transmission member 632 and a transmission member 633 , and transmits the drive to each of the drive portions such as the first sheet feeding portion 1 and the second sheet feeding portion 2 via the transmission members 631 to 633 .
- the drive portion 6 also includes a base 611 having a plurality of fixing shafts that hold various gears such as the transmission member 631 and slide.
- FIG. 5 A is a perspective view illustrating a part of the drive transmission mechanism 60 in the present embodiment
- FIG. 5 B illustrates the fixing shafts from which the transmission members held by the base 611 have been removed
- FIG. 6 illustrates cross sections of the fixing shafts.
- the drive transmission mechanism 60 includes the first transmission member 631 , the second transmission member 632 , and the third transmission member 633 , which are the gears.
- the first transmission member 631 receives the drive force transmitted from the conveyance motor 31 serving as the drive source to rotate.
- the second transmission member 632 receives the drive force from the first transmission member 631 to rotate.
- the third transmission member 633 receives the drive force from the second transmission member 632 to rotate.
- the drive transmission mechanism 60 transmits the drive to each of the drive portions via the first transmission member 631 , the second transmission member 632 , and the third transmission member 633 .
- the drive transmission mechanism 60 includes, as respective support members which rotatably support the transmission members 631 to 633 , a first fixing shaft 612 , a second fixing shaft 613 , and a third fixing shaft 614 which serve as support shafts as well as the base 611 that supports the fixing shafts.
- the first transmission member 631 , the second transmission member 632 , and the third transmission member 633 are respectively provided with a shaft hole 631 a, a shaft hole 632 a, and a shaft hole 633 a.
- the first fixing shaft 612 , the second fixing shaft 613 , and the third fixing shaft 614 are respectively inserted to allow the first transmission member 631 , the second transmission member 632 , and the third transmission member 633 to interfit with the individual fixing shafts and be rotatably held.
- Interfitting portions between the shaft hole 631 a, the shaft hole 632 a, and the shaft hole 633 a and the first fixing shaft 612 , the second fixing shaft 613 , and the third fixing shaft 614 have diameter differences of, e.g., 5 ⁇ m to 100 ⁇ m therebetween.
- a first groove portion 621 a and a second groove portion 621 b are provided to each extend throughout a substantially entire region in a thrust direction along the thrust direction and hold a lubricant. It is desirable that the first groove portion 621 a and the second groove portion 621 b are provided to extend over a distance of not less than a length over which the second transmission member 632 and the second fixing shaft 613 slide in the thrust direction (direction along an axis line of the second fixing shaft 613 or a rotation axis line of the second transmission member 632 ).
- the base 611 needs only to include at least the second fixing shaft 613 , and the first fixing shaft 612 and the third fixing shaft 614 may also be provided in another component.
- FIG. 7 A illustrates orientations of forces acting on the second transmission member 632 and a position relationship between the first groove portion 621 a and the second groove portion 621 b each provided in the second fixing shaft 613 when a drive force in a first rotation direction (first direction) is transmitted from the conveyance motor 31 to the first transmission member 631 .
- FIG. 7 B illustrates orientations of forces acting on the second transmission member 632 and the positional relationship between the first groove portion 621 a and the second groove portion 621 b each provided in the second fixing shaft 613 when a drive force in a second rotation direction (second direction) is transmitted from the conveyance motor 31 to the first transmission member 631 .
- the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction are reverse to each other.
- the first transmission member 631 , the second transmission member 632 , and the third transmission member 633 rotate in respective arrow directions indicated by curved lines in the drawings to transmit power from the conveyance motor 31 .
- a case where the drive force in the first direction is transmitted from the conveyance motor 31 is a case where the conveyance roller 32 is reversely rotated as illustrated in, e.g., FIGS. 3 A and 3 B or the like.
- a case where the drive force in the second direction is transmitted from the conveyance motor 31 is a case where the conveyance roller 32 is normally rotated as illustrated in, e.g., FIGS. 3 C and 3 D .
- the second transmission member 632 When the transmitted drive force is in the first rotation direction, as illustrated in FIG. 7 A , the second transmission member 632 receives a first force Fa corresponding to a resultant force of a force F 1 a received from the first transmission member 631 and a force F 2 a received from the third transmission member 633 to be biased toward the second fixing shaft 613 .
- the transmitted drive force is in the second direction, as illustrated in FIG. 7 B , the second transmission member 632 receives a second force Fb corresponding to a resultant force of a force F 1 b from the first transmission member 631 and a force F 2 b from the third transmission member 633 to be biased toward the second fixing shaft 613 .
- a direction of the first force Fa serving as a first pressing force and a direction of the second force Fb serving as a second pressing force are determined only by respective locations of the first transmission member 631 and the third transmission member 633 with respect to the second transmission member 632 and a rotation direction of the drive source.
- FIG. 8 A is a schematic enlarged view of an interfitting portion between the shaft hole 632 a of the second transmission member 632 and the second fixing shaft 613 when the drive force in the first rotation direction from the conveyance motor 31 is transmitted to the first transmission member 631 .
- FIG. 8 B is a schematic enlarged view of the interfitting portion between the shaft hole 632 a of the second transmission member 632 and the second fixing shaft 613 when the drive force in the second rotation direction is transmitted from the conveyance motor 31 to the first transmission member 631 .
- the second transmission member 632 receives the first force Fa to be biased to the second fixing shaft 613 in a first sliding region (first region) A 1 .
- the second transmission member 632 receives the second force Fb to be biased to the second fixing shaft 613 in a second sliding region (second region) A 2 .
- the first groove portion 621 a is provided on an upstream side of the first sliding region A 1 in the first rotation direction in an outer peripheral surface of the second fixing shaft 613 so as to avoid the first sliding region A 1 .
- the second groove portion 621 b is provided on an upstream side of the second sliding region A 2 in the second rotation direction in the outer peripheral surface of the second fixing shaft 613 so as to avoid the second sliding region A 2 .
- the slight change of the relative positions relatively reduces spacing of the annular gap between an inner peripheral surface of the shaft hole 632 a and the outer peripheral surface of the second fixing shaft 613 in a region on the upstream side in the predetermined direction described above and, in such a region, a state is established in which the shaft hole 632 a and the second fixing shaft 613 are strongly pressed against each other.
- Generation of such locally strong pressing forces may involve slight deformation of the shaft hole 632 a and the second fixing shaft 613 .
- a region where these locally strong pressing forces are generated is referred to as the sliding region.
- the lubricant is interposed and consequently, in such a sliding region also, the shaft hole 632 a and the second fixing shaft 613 do not normally come into direct contact with each other and slide.
- a range of the sliding region is hard to clearly define but, e.g., a predetermined range in both directions around the inner peripheral surface of the shaft hole 632 a or around the outer peripheral surface of the second fixing shaft 613 around a root of a vector of the first force Fa illustrated in FIG. 8 A may appropriately be set as the range of the sliding region.
- a position of this vector can be defined on the basis of positional relationships between respective shaft centers the first fixing shaft 612 , the second fixing shaft 613 , and the third fixing shaft 614 , as illustrated in FIG. 7 A .
- the predetermined range for example, a range in which a pressing force, which is higher by a certain degree than a reduced pressing force in an opposite region, is observed may also be set as the range of the sliding region. The same applies also to the second force Fb illustrated in FIG. 8 B .
- a groove portion is provided in a biasing region of a sliding portion of a fixing shaft. Accordingly, a contact area between a transmission member and a fixing shaft decreases in the biasing region, and a surface pressure placed on the transmission member or on the fixing shaft increases. As a result, friction heat resulting from the sliding of the transmission member or the fixing shaft increases to increase an amount of abrasion.
- a biasing region moves to a position (phase) overlapping a groove portion provided in a fixing shaft. Accordingly, the contact area between the transmission member and the fixing shaft decreases, and the surface pressure placed on the transmission member or on the fixing shaft increases. As a result, friction heat resulting from sliding of the transmission member or the fixing shaft increases to increase an amount of abrasion.
- the two groove portions are provided, but it may also be possible to provide one groove portion or a plurality of three or more groove portions.
- the groove portions are provided in the vicinity of a phase shifted by 45 degrees on an upstream side of a center of the sliding region (root of the vector) in the rotation direction, but the groove portions are not limited to such a configuration.
- the groove portions may optionally be provided within a phase range which is larger than 0 degrees and less than 180 degrees on the upstream side of the center of the sliding region in the rotation direction and does not overlap the sliding region.
- a boundary between each of the groove portions and a sliding surface (outer peripheral surface) has a smooth curved shape. This reduces catching between the fixing shaft and the sliding transmission member and allows excellent slidability to be maintained.
- FIGS. 9 A to 10 a description will be given of a drive transmission mechanism according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Note that, in the second embodiment, a description of configurations common to those in the first embodiment is omitted by assigning the same reference sings as those in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, matters not particularly described herein are the same as those in the first embodiment.
- FIG. 9 A is a perspective view illustrating locations of the first groove portion 621 a and the second groove portions 621 b each provided in the second fixing shaft 613 in the thrust direction.
- FIG. 9 B is a cross-sectional view of the second fixing shaft 613 .
- the first fixing shaft 612 , the second fixing shaft 613 , and the third fixing shaft 614 respectively have an outer peripheral surface 612 a, an outer peripheral surface 613 a, and an outer peripheral surface 614 a serving as leading-end-side first peripheral surfaces which slide with the shaft hole 631 a, the shafts hole 632 a, and the shaft hole 633 a.
- a tapered surface 612 b, a tapered surface 613 b, and a tapered surface 614 b serving as fixing-shaft-root-side second peripheral surfaces different from the first peripheral surfaces are provided between the individual outer peripheral surfaces 612 a, 613 a, and 614 a and the base 611 .
- the first groove portion 621 a and the second groove portion 621 b each serving as a lubrication groove that holds the lubricant are provided so as to extend in the thrust direction.
- Each of the tapered surfaces 612 b to 614 b is configured to have a recessed curved surface.
- the tapered surfaces 612 b to 614 b are configured to extend from the outer peripheral surfaces 612 a to 614 a toward the base 611 so as to gradually increase in diameter and have diameters (second diameters) larger than diameters (first diameters) of the outer peripheral surfaces 612 a to 614 a at boundaries with the base 611 .
- the tapered surfaces 612 b to 614 b reduce stresses placed on roots of the individual fixing shafts 612 to 614 corresponding to joints with the base 611 .
- the foregoing configuration allows the base 611 , the first fixing shaft 612 , the second fixing shaft 613 , and the third fixing shaft 614 to use a polymer material (e.g., a resin material) having a strength lower than that of metal.
- a polymer material e.g., a resin material
- FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating an outer appearance of the base 611 integrally molded with the first fixing shaft 612 , the second fixing shaft 613 , and the third fixing shaft 614 in the present embodiment.
- a polymer material to be used ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), a reinforcing material containing glass fiber or the like, or a crystalline resin material such as POM (polyacetal) or PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) is generally preferred.
- POM polyacetal
- PBT polybutylene terephthalate
- a preferable material depends on a condition or an environment in which the material is used, and accordingly a material other than the materials shown herein may also be used.
- a shape for holding the lubricant is not limited to a shape such as that of a groove portion, and may also be a D-shape such as obtained by partially cutting off a sliding surface of a fixing shaft.
- the present invention is applied to the drive member of the image recording apparatus, but an application target is not limited thereto, and the present invention may also be applied to another apparatus including the drive transmission mechanism.
- FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a drive transmission mechanism in the third embodiment.
- the groove portions are provided in substantially the entire region of the sliding surface (outer peripheral surface) of the second fixing shaft 613 in the thrust direction, but a range in which the groove portions are formed is not limited thereto. As illustrated in FIG. 11 , the range in which the groove portions are formed needs only to have a width of not less than a width of a sliding region for each of the second transmission member 632 and the second fixing shaft 613 in the thrust direction.
- the groove portions need not be extended throughout the entire region of the outer peripheral surface of the second fixing shaft 613 in the thrust direction, unlike in the first embodiment. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to inhibit the lubricant held in the groove portions from flowing out in the thrust direction.
- FIG. 12 A is a perspective view of the drive transmission mechanism 60 in the present embodiment.
- FIG. 12 B is an exploded view of the drive transmission mechanism 60 in the present embodiment.
- FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the drive transmission mechanism 60 in the present embodiment.
- the second transmission member 632 is provided with the second fixing shaft 613 .
- the base 611 is provided with the shaft hole 632 a, the first groove portion 621 a, and the second groove portion 621 b.
- no groove portion is provided in the second fixing shaft 613 , and therefore it is possible to inhibit a reduced strength of the second fixing shaft 613 .
- the second transmission member 632 may also be an integrally molded product of the gear portion and the fixing shaft using the polymer material mentioned above.
- the first transmission member 631 may also be a gear that is directly connected to the drive source to rotate. At that time, forces acing on the second transmission member 632 are the same as those illustrated in FIGS. 7 A and 7 B .
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- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- Delivering By Means Of Belts And Rollers (AREA)
- Gear Transmission (AREA)
- General Details Of Gearings (AREA)
- Electrophotography Configuration And Component (AREA)
Abstract
A drive transmission mechanism of a recording apparatus includes a first transmission member that is rotated by a drive force from a drive source, a second transmission member by the drive force from the first transmission member so as to be rotated in a first direction and in a second direction, a third transmission member by the drive force from the second transmission member so as to be rotated, and a support member having a first region that receives a first pressing force from the second transmission member rotated in the first direction and a second region that receives a second pressing force from the second transmission member rotated in the second direction. The support member has grooves disposed on an upstream side of the first region in the first direction and on an upstream side of the second region in the second direction.
Description
- The present invention relates to a drive transmission mechanism included in an image recording apparatus.
- An image recording apparatus that forms (records) an image on a recording material includes a drive transmission mechanism that uses a transmission member such as a gear to transmit power generated from a drive source as a drive to a drive member. The drive transmission mechanism also includes a support member having a fixing shaft that slides while holding the transmission member. To maintain excellent slidability of the transmission member or the fixing shaft, a lubricant such as grease is applied to a sliding portion. In Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-174577, in a sliding portion of a fixing shaft that slides with respect to a transmission member, a groove that holds a lubricant is provided in a region (hereinafter referred to as a biasing region) where the transmission member is biased to the fixing shaft at the time of power transmission to suppress depletion of the lubricant, thereby suppressing abrasion. In Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-009018, at a position facing a biasing region, a groove that holds a lubricant is provided in a fixing shaft so as to suppress abrasion.
- However, in a configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-174577, it is concerned that, in the biasing region where the groove portion is provided, a surface pressure locally increases, thereby increasing an amount of abrasion. In a configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-009018 also, it is concerned that a change in a rotation direction of a drive source causes a surface pressure locally increase in the biasing region, thereby increasing an amount of abrasion. In addition, there is also a concern that a groove portion provided in a sliding surface of the fixing shaft that slides with respect to a transmission member to extend in a thrust direction increases a stress in a root of the fixing shaft made of a resin, thereby resulting in damage.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a technology that can ensure slidability between a transmission member and a support member supporting the transmission member in a drive transmission mechanism and suppress abrasion.
- To attain the object described above, a drive transmission mechanism used in a recording apparatus of the present invention includes:
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- a drive source;
- a first transmission member that is rotated by a drive force from the drive source;
- a second transmission member that receives the drive force from the first transmission member so as to be rotated in a first direction and in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
- a third transmission member that receives the drive force from the second transmission member so as to be rotated; and
- a support member inserted through a shaft hole of the second transmission member and having an outer peripheral surface, which includes a first region that receives a first pressing force from the second transmission member rotated in the first direction and which includes a second region that receives a second pressing force from the second transmission member rotated in the second direction,
- wherein the support member has a groove disposed on an upstream side of the first region in the first direction and on an upstream side of the second region in the second direction.
- To attain the object described above, a drive transmission mechanism used in the recording apparatus of the present invention includes:
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- a drive source;
- a first transmission member that is rotated by a drive force from the drive source;
- a second transmission member that receives the drive force from the first transmission member so as to be rotated in a first direction and in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
- a third transmission member that receives the drive force from the second transmission member so as to be rotated; and
- a support member having a shaft hole through which a rotation shaft of the second transmission member is inserted, the shaft hole having an inner peripheral surface, which includes a first region that receives a first pressing force from the second transmission member rotated in the first direction and which includes a second region that receives a second pressing force from the second transmission member rotated in the second direction,
- wherein the shaft hole has a groove disposed on an upstream side of the first region in the first direction and on an upstream side of the second region in the second direction.
- To attain the object described above, a recording apparatus of the present invention includes:
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- a recording portion that records an image on a sheet;
- a conveying portion that conveys the sheet; and
- the drive transmission mechanism of the present invention,
- wherein the drive transmission mechanism transmits a drive force from the conveying portion.
- According to the present invention, it is possible to ensure slidability between a transmission member and a support member supporting the transmission member in a drive transmission mechanism and suppress abrasion.
- Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image recording apparatus in a first embodiment; -
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a conveying portion of the image recording apparatus in the first embodiment; -
FIGS. 3A to 3D are diagrams each illustrating a registration adjustment operation in the image recording apparatus in the first embodiment; -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a drive member in the first embodiment; -
FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views each illustrating a configuration of a drive transmission mechanism in the first embodiment; -
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the drive transmission mechanism in the first embodiment; -
FIGS. 7A and 7B are front views each illustrating an operation of the drive transmission mechanism in the first embodiment; -
FIGS. 8A and 8B are enlarged views illustrating the operation of the drive transmission mechanism in the first embodiment; -
FIGS. 9A and 9B are perspective view and a cross sectional view each illustrating a configuration of a drive transmission mechanism in a second embodiment; -
FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a base in the second embodiment; -
FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a drive transmission mechanism in a third embodiment; -
FIGS. 12A and 12B are perspective views each illustrating a configuration of a drive transmission mechanism in a fourth embodiment; and -
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the drive transmission mechanism in the fourth embodiment. - Referring to the drawings, modes for carrying out this invention will be described below in detail by way of example on the basis of each of embodiments. Note that dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positioning, and the like of components described in the embodiment are to be appropriately changed depending on a configuration of an apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions. In addition, not all of the combinations of features described in the present embodiment are indispensable to the means to solve the problems of the present invention. Note that the components described in the embodiment are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of this invention only thereto.
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an inner configuration of an image recording apparatus M including a drive transmission mechanism in the present embodiment. - The image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment is an ink jet printer as a liquid-ejection recording apparatus. In other words, the image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment is an apparatus that ejects ink as a recording liquid to a recording medium such as a recording sheet to record an image on the recording medium. Note that the image recording apparatus to which the present invention is applicable is not limited to the recording apparatus described above, and examples thereof also include a laser printer, which is an electrophotographic image recording apparatus (image forming apparatus), and the like.
- The image recording apparatus M is a composite machine including a print portion and a scanner portion (not shown) disposed above the print portion, and various processing related to an image recording operation and to a reading operation can be performed individually or in conjunction by the print portion and the scanner portion.
- The scanner portion includes an ADF (auto document feeder) and a FBS (flat bed scanner), and can perform reading of a document automatically fed by the ADF and reading (scanning) of the document placed on a document glass of the FBS by a user. Note that the present embodiment is the composite machine having the print portion and the scanner portion in combination, but may also be in a form not including the scanner portion.
- The print portion includes the following configuration including a first
sheet feeding portion 1 and a secondsheet feeding portion 2 on which the user loads the recording medium, a conveyingportion 3 that accurately conveys the recording medium fed by each of the sheet feeding portions, arecording portion 4 that records an image on the recording medium conveyed by the conveyingportion 3, asheet discharge portion 8 on which the recording medium having the image recorded thereon and discharged is to be loaded, and the like. Thesheet discharge portion 8 includes a recordingmedium loading portion 81 and anextended tray 82 that can be withdrawn from the image recording apparatus M so as to be able to support the recording medium even when the recoding medium has a large size. The print portion further includes amaintenance portion 5 that performs maintenance of therecording portion 4 and adrive portion 6 that uses a drive from aconveyance motor 31 configured in the conveyingportion 3 to switch and transmit the drive to any of the firstsheet feeding portion 1, the secondsheet feeding portion 2, and themaintenance portion 5. All of these units are connected to abase 7 to configure the print portion. -
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the conveyingportion 3 of the image recording apparatus M in the present embodiment. Theconveyance motor 31 as a single drive source is connected (drive-connected) to aconveyance roller 32 via adrive train 26. Theconveyance roller 32 can rotate in a direction (hereinbelow referred to as reverse rotation or a reverse rotation direction) reverse to a rotation direction (hereinbelow referred to as normal rotation or a normal rotation direction) in which a sheet P as the recording medium is conveyed in a conveyance direction according to a rotation direction of theconveyance motor 31. Anintermediate roller 28 is connected (drive-connected) to theconveyance roller 32 via adrive train 27. Midway in thedrive train 27, a unidirectional rotation mechanism described later which includes a combination of aunidirectional clutch 72 and aunidirectional clutch 73 is disposed. Rotation input from anintermediate input gear 61 is passed through the unidirectional rotation mechanism to allow only a drive in the rotation direction illustrated inFIG. 2 to be transmitted to an intermediateroller input gear 66 irrespective of a rotation direction of theintermediate input gear 61. When there is an input to the intermediateroller input gear 66 in the illustrated direction, theintermediate roller 28 rotates in the rotation direction (hereinbelow referred to as the normal rotation) illustrated inFIG. 2 in which the sheet P is conveyed in the conveyance direction. -
FIGS. 3A to 3D are diagrams illustrating a registration adjustment operation in the image recording apparatus M in the present embodiment. As illustrated inFIG. 3A , the sheet P fed by thesheet feeding roller 25 provided in thesheet feeding portion 2 is conveyed in the conveyance direction by rotation of a roller pair including theintermediate roller 28 and a drivenroller 29 that receives a biasing force to come into contact with theintermediate roller 28. At this time, the conveyance roller 32 (second roller) is reversely rotated, while the intermediate roller 28 (first roller) is normally rotated. When the conveyance of the sheet P proceeds and a leading end of the sheet P reaches theconveyance roller 32, due to the reverse rotation of theconveyance roller 32, the leading end of the sheet P cannot advance on a downstream side of theconveyance roller 32 in the conveyance direction to be stopped by theconveyance roller 32 and apinch roller 34. Meanwhile, since theintermediate roller 28 tends to convey the sheet P in the conveyance direction, as illustrated inFIG. 3B , the sheet P forms a loop. As a result, even when left and right leading end portions of the sheet P reach theconveyance roller 32 with different timings, it is possible to align respective positions of the left and right leading end portions. - After the loop is formed and the positions of the left and right leading end portions of the sheet P are aligned, as illustrated in
FIG. 3C , the rotation direction of theconveyance roller 32 is changed. At this time, the drive to theintermediate roller 28 is temporarily cut off, backlash of the drive trains, transmission delays in the unidirectional clutches, and the like are consumed, and then the drive is connected again. - However, when the loop has been formed, a force to eliminate the loop acts on the sheet P, and consequently the
intermediate roller 28 receives, from the sheet P, a force in a direction that reversely rotates theintermediate roller 28. At this time, when theintermediate roller 28 is reversely rotated, the loop is eliminated, and a problem occurs in that the left and right leading ends that have been aligned once are misaligned again. Therefore, in conveyance after the left and right leading end portions of the sheet P are aligned, it is important to prevent reverse rotation of theintermediate roller 28 and hold the loop until the conveyance by theconveyance roller 32 is started. - In the present embodiment, when the
intermediate roller 28 tends to reversely rotate, the reverse rotation of theintermediate roller 28 is prevented using an action of a restricting gear not shown. Thus, even when the drive to theintermediate roller 28 is cut off, it is possible to hold the loop of the sheet P. - As illustrated in
FIG. 3D , when the conveyance of the sheet P is started by theconveyance roller 32 to reconnect the drive to theintermediate roller 28, the action of a restricting gear 69 not shown is cancelled, and the rotation of theintermediate roller 28 is no longer inhibited. In addition, by setting a roller peripheral velocity of theconveyance roller 32 higher than a roller peripheral velocity of theintermediate roller 28, when the conveyance of the sheet proceeds, deflection of the sheet is naturally eliminated, and it is possible to inhibit a reaction force resulting from the deflection from preventing sheet conveyance. - With the configuration described above, it is possible to prevent the reverse rotation of the
intermediate roller 28 due to the reaction force generated during registration adjustment of the sheet P without using a biasing means such as a spring. -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating thedrive portion 6 of the image recording apparatus M in the present embodiment. The drive from theconveyance motor 31 serving as the drive source is transmitted to thedrive portion 6 via a conveyanceroller output gear 33 that rotates integrally with theconveyance roller 32. In other words, to adrive transmission mechanism 60 included in thedrive portion 6 and described later, a drive force from theconveyance motor 31 serving as the drive source is transmitted via the conveyingportion 3 including theconveyance roller 32 and the conveyanceroller output gear 33. Thedrive portion 6 includes, as thedrive transmission mechanism 60, atransmission member 631 that meshes with the conveyanceroller output gear 33 as well as atransmission member 632 and atransmission member 633, and transmits the drive to each of the drive portions such as the firstsheet feeding portion 1 and the secondsheet feeding portion 2 via thetransmission members 631 to 633. Thedrive portion 6 also includes a base 611 having a plurality of fixing shafts that hold various gears such as thetransmission member 631 and slide. -
FIG. 5A is a perspective view illustrating a part of thedrive transmission mechanism 60 in the present embodiment,FIG. 5B illustrates the fixing shafts from which the transmission members held by the base 611 have been removed, andFIG. 6 illustrates cross sections of the fixing shafts. Thedrive transmission mechanism 60 includes thefirst transmission member 631, thesecond transmission member 632, and thethird transmission member 633, which are the gears. Thefirst transmission member 631 receives the drive force transmitted from theconveyance motor 31 serving as the drive source to rotate. Thesecond transmission member 632 receives the drive force from thefirst transmission member 631 to rotate. Thethird transmission member 633 receives the drive force from thesecond transmission member 632 to rotate. Thedrive transmission mechanism 60 transmits the drive to each of the drive portions via thefirst transmission member 631, thesecond transmission member 632, and thethird transmission member 633. In addition, thedrive transmission mechanism 60 includes, as respective support members which rotatably support thetransmission members 631 to 633, afirst fixing shaft 612, asecond fixing shaft 613, and athird fixing shaft 614 which serve as support shafts as well as the base 611 that supports the fixing shafts. - The
first transmission member 631, thesecond transmission member 632, and thethird transmission member 633 are respectively provided with ashaft hole 631 a, ashaft hole 632 a, and ashaft hole 633 a. Through the shaft holes 631 a, 632 a, and 633 a, thefirst fixing shaft 612, thesecond fixing shaft 613, and thethird fixing shaft 614 are respectively inserted to allow thefirst transmission member 631, thesecond transmission member 632, and thethird transmission member 633 to interfit with the individual fixing shafts and be rotatably held. Interfitting portions between theshaft hole 631 a, theshaft hole 632 a, and theshaft hole 633 a and thefirst fixing shaft 612, thesecond fixing shaft 613, and thethird fixing shaft 614 have diameter differences of, e.g., 5 μm to 100 μm therebetween. - In an outer peripheral surface of the
second fixing shaft 613, afirst groove portion 621 a and asecond groove portion 621 b are provided to each extend throughout a substantially entire region in a thrust direction along the thrust direction and hold a lubricant. It is desirable that thefirst groove portion 621 a and thesecond groove portion 621 b are provided to extend over a distance of not less than a length over which thesecond transmission member 632 and thesecond fixing shaft 613 slide in the thrust direction (direction along an axis line of thesecond fixing shaft 613 or a rotation axis line of the second transmission member 632). - Note that not all of the three fixing shafts necessarily need to be configured to be supported by the one
base 611. In other words, the base 611 needs only to include at least thesecond fixing shaft 613, and thefirst fixing shaft 612 and thethird fixing shaft 614 may also be provided in another component. - A detailed description will be given of functions and effects of the embodiment of the present invention.
-
FIG. 7A illustrates orientations of forces acting on thesecond transmission member 632 and a position relationship between thefirst groove portion 621 a and thesecond groove portion 621 b each provided in thesecond fixing shaft 613 when a drive force in a first rotation direction (first direction) is transmitted from theconveyance motor 31 to thefirst transmission member 631.FIG. 7B illustrates orientations of forces acting on thesecond transmission member 632 and the positional relationship between thefirst groove portion 621 a and thesecond groove portion 621 b each provided in thesecond fixing shaft 613 when a drive force in a second rotation direction (second direction) is transmitted from theconveyance motor 31 to thefirst transmission member 631. The first rotation direction and the second rotation direction are reverse to each other. - As illustrated in
FIGS. 7A and 7B , thefirst transmission member 631, thesecond transmission member 632, and thethird transmission member 633 rotate in respective arrow directions indicated by curved lines in the drawings to transmit power from theconveyance motor 31. A case where the drive force in the first direction is transmitted from theconveyance motor 31 is a case where theconveyance roller 32 is reversely rotated as illustrated in, e.g.,FIGS. 3A and 3B or the like. Meanwhile, a case where the drive force in the second direction is transmitted from theconveyance motor 31 is a case where theconveyance roller 32 is normally rotated as illustrated in, e.g.,FIGS. 3C and 3D . - When the transmitted drive force is in the first rotation direction, as illustrated in
FIG. 7A , thesecond transmission member 632 receives a first force Fa corresponding to a resultant force of a force F1 a received from thefirst transmission member 631 and a force F2 a received from thethird transmission member 633 to be biased toward thesecond fixing shaft 613. When the transmitted drive force is in the second direction, as illustrated inFIG. 7B , thesecond transmission member 632 receives a second force Fb corresponding to a resultant force of a force F1 b from thefirst transmission member 631 and a force F2 b from thethird transmission member 633 to be biased toward thesecond fixing shaft 613. The second force Fb illustrated inFIG. 7B acts on thesecond transmission member 632 in a direction reverse to that of the first force Fa in a phase shifted by 180 degrees with respect to that of the first force Fa illustrated inFIG. 7A around the axis line of thesecond fixing shaft 613 to bias thesecond transmission member 632 to thesecond fixing shaft 613. Thus, a direction of the first force Fa serving as a first pressing force and a direction of the second force Fb serving as a second pressing force are determined only by respective locations of thefirst transmission member 631 and thethird transmission member 633 with respect to thesecond transmission member 632 and a rotation direction of the drive source. -
FIG. 8A is a schematic enlarged view of an interfitting portion between theshaft hole 632 a of thesecond transmission member 632 and thesecond fixing shaft 613 when the drive force in the first rotation direction from theconveyance motor 31 is transmitted to thefirst transmission member 631.FIG. 8B is a schematic enlarged view of the interfitting portion between theshaft hole 632 a of thesecond transmission member 632 and thesecond fixing shaft 613 when the drive force in the second rotation direction is transmitted from theconveyance motor 31 to thefirst transmission member 631. - When the drive force transmitted from the
conveyance motor 31 is in the first rotation direction, as illustrated inFIG. 8A , thesecond transmission member 632 receives the first force Fa to be biased to thesecond fixing shaft 613 in a first sliding region (first region) A1. When the drive force transmitted from theconveyance motor 31 is in the second rotation direction, as illustrated inFIG. 8B , thesecond transmission member 632 receives the second force Fb to be biased to thesecond fixing shaft 613 in a second sliding region (second region) A2. Thefirst groove portion 621 a is provided on an upstream side of the first sliding region A1 in the first rotation direction in an outer peripheral surface of thesecond fixing shaft 613 so as to avoid the first sliding region A1. Meanwhile, thesecond groove portion 621 b is provided on an upstream side of the second sliding region A2 in the second rotation direction in the outer peripheral surface of thesecond fixing shaft 613 so as to avoid the second sliding region A2. - A description will be given herein of a sliding region. When a strong force in a predetermined direction (third direction) is applied to the
second transmission member 632, relative positions of theshaft hole 632 a and thesecond fixing shaft 613 slightly change to be offset (decentered) in a direction (fourth direction) reverse to the predetermined direction described above in a tolerance range of an annular gap between theshaft hole 632 a and the second fixing shaft 613 (between facing surfaces). The slight change of the relative positions relatively reduces spacing of the annular gap between an inner peripheral surface of theshaft hole 632 a and the outer peripheral surface of thesecond fixing shaft 613 in a region on the upstream side in the predetermined direction described above and, in such a region, a state is established in which theshaft hole 632 a and thesecond fixing shaft 613 are strongly pressed against each other. Generation of such locally strong pressing forces may involve slight deformation of theshaft hole 632 a and thesecond fixing shaft 613. In the present embodiment, a region where these locally strong pressing forces are generated is referred to as the sliding region. Note that, between theshaft hole 632 a and thesecond fixing shaft 613, the lubricant is interposed and consequently, in such a sliding region also, theshaft hole 632 a and thesecond fixing shaft 613 do not normally come into direct contact with each other and slide. - A range of the sliding region is hard to clearly define but, e.g., a predetermined range in both directions around the inner peripheral surface of the
shaft hole 632 a or around the outer peripheral surface of thesecond fixing shaft 613 around a root of a vector of the first force Fa illustrated inFIG. 8A may appropriately be set as the range of the sliding region. A position of this vector can be defined on the basis of positional relationships between respective shaft centers thefirst fixing shaft 612, thesecond fixing shaft 613, and thethird fixing shaft 614, as illustrated inFIG. 7A . As the predetermined range, for example, a range in which a pressing force, which is higher by a certain degree than a reduced pressing force in an opposite region, is observed may also be set as the range of the sliding region. The same applies also to the second force Fb illustrated inFIG. 8B . - Due to the foregoing configuration, biasing regions where the transmission members are biased to the fixing shaft and the groove portions do not overlap each other in phase around the axis lines of the fixing shafts irrespective of the rotation direction of the drive source. As a result, sliding areas between the transmission members and the fixing shafts are ensured, and surface pressures between the transmission members and the fixing shafts are not increased, and therefore it is possible to suppress a rise of friction heat and abrasion. In addition, since the lubricant can be supplied from the groove portions provided in the vicinity of the biasing region, it is possible to maintain excellent slidability.
- By contrast, in a configuration described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-174577, a groove portion is provided in a biasing region of a sliding portion of a fixing shaft. Accordingly, a contact area between a transmission member and a fixing shaft decreases in the biasing region, and a surface pressure placed on the transmission member or on the fixing shaft increases. As a result, friction heat resulting from the sliding of the transmission member or the fixing shaft increases to increase an amount of abrasion. Additionally, in a configuration described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-009018 also, when a drive source rotates in a second direction different from a first rotation direction, a biasing region moves to a position (phase) overlapping a groove portion provided in a fixing shaft. Accordingly, the contact area between the transmission member and the fixing shaft decreases, and the surface pressure placed on the transmission member or on the fixing shaft increases. As a result, friction heat resulting from sliding of the transmission member or the fixing shaft increases to increase an amount of abrasion.
- In the present embodiment, the two groove portions are provided, but it may also be possible to provide one groove portion or a plurality of three or more groove portions.
- Also, in the present embodiment, the groove portions are provided in the vicinity of a phase shifted by 45 degrees on an upstream side of a center of the sliding region (root of the vector) in the rotation direction, but the groove portions are not limited to such a configuration. In other words, the groove portions may optionally be provided within a phase range which is larger than 0 degrees and less than 180 degrees on the upstream side of the center of the sliding region in the rotation direction and does not overlap the sliding region.
- It is desirable that, in the outer peripheral surface of the fixing shaft, a boundary between each of the groove portions and a sliding surface (outer peripheral surface) has a smooth curved shape. This reduces catching between the fixing shaft and the sliding transmission member and allows excellent slidability to be maintained.
- Referring to
FIGS. 9A to 10 , a description will be given of a drive transmission mechanism according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Note that, in the second embodiment, a description of configurations common to those in the first embodiment is omitted by assigning the same reference sings as those in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, matters not particularly described herein are the same as those in the first embodiment. -
FIG. 9A is a perspective view illustrating locations of thefirst groove portion 621 a and thesecond groove portions 621 b each provided in thesecond fixing shaft 613 in the thrust direction.FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of thesecond fixing shaft 613. - The
first fixing shaft 612, thesecond fixing shaft 613, and thethird fixing shaft 614 respectively have an outerperipheral surface 612 a, an outerperipheral surface 613 a, and an outerperipheral surface 614 a serving as leading-end-side first peripheral surfaces which slide with theshaft hole 631 a, the shafts hole 632 a, and theshaft hole 633 a. In addition, between the individual outerperipheral surfaces base 611, atapered surface 612 b, atapered surface 613 b, and atapered surface 614 b serving as fixing-shaft-root-side second peripheral surfaces different from the first peripheral surfaces are provided. Meanwhile, in the outerperipheral surface 613 a of thesecond fixing shaft 613, thefirst groove portion 621 a and thesecond groove portion 621 b each serving as a lubrication groove that holds the lubricant are provided so as to extend in the thrust direction. - Each of the tapered
surfaces 612 b to 614 b is configured to have a recessed curved surface. In other words, thetapered surfaces 612 b to 614 b are configured to extend from the outerperipheral surfaces 612 a to 614 a toward the base 611 so as to gradually increase in diameter and have diameters (second diameters) larger than diameters (first diameters) of the outerperipheral surfaces 612 a to 614 a at boundaries with thebase 611. With such a configuration, thetapered surfaces 612 b to 614 b reduce stresses placed on roots of theindividual fixing shafts 612 to 614 corresponding to joints with thebase 611. - Additionally, by providing the
first groove portion 621 a and thesecond groove portion 621 b only in the outerperipheral surface 613 a of thesecond fixing shaft 613, an effect on the stress placed on the root of thesecond fixing shaft 613 due to the provision of thefirst groove portion 621 a and thesecond groove portion 621 b is reduced. Consequently, it is possible to inhibit damage thesecond fixing shaft 613 caused by a reduced strength thereof due to thefirst groove portion 621 a and thesecond groove portion 621 b. - The foregoing configuration allows the
base 611, thefirst fixing shaft 612, thesecond fixing shaft 613, and thethird fixing shaft 614 to use a polymer material (e.g., a resin material) having a strength lower than that of metal. Thus, it is possible to ensure a sufficient strength even when thebase 611 and the fixing shaft including the groove portions are integrally molded using the polymer material and provide a drive transmission mechanism that is inexpensive and highly productive, and can suppress abrasion. -
FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating an outer appearance of the base 611 integrally molded with thefirst fixing shaft 612, thesecond fixing shaft 613, and thethird fixing shaft 614 in the present embodiment. As a polymer material to be used, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), a reinforcing material containing glass fiber or the like, or a crystalline resin material such as POM (polyacetal) or PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) is generally preferred. However, a preferable material depends on a condition or an environment in which the material is used, and accordingly a material other than the materials shown herein may also be used. - Note that a shape for holding the lubricant is not limited to a shape such as that of a groove portion, and may also be a D-shape such as obtained by partially cutting off a sliding surface of a fixing shaft. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to the drive member of the image recording apparatus, but an application target is not limited thereto, and the present invention may also be applied to another apparatus including the drive transmission mechanism.
- Referring to
FIG. 11 , a description will be given of a drive transmission mechanism according to the third embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a drive transmission mechanism in the third embodiment. - Note that, in the third embodiment, a description of configurations common to those in the embodiments described above is omitted by assigning the same reference sings as those in the embodiments described above. In the third embodiment, matters not particularly described herein are the same as those in the embodiments described above.
- In the first embodiment, the groove portions are provided in substantially the entire region of the sliding surface (outer peripheral surface) of the
second fixing shaft 613 in the thrust direction, but a range in which the groove portions are formed is not limited thereto. As illustrated inFIG. 11 , the range in which the groove portions are formed needs only to have a width of not less than a width of a sliding region for each of thesecond transmission member 632 and thesecond fixing shaft 613 in the thrust direction. In other words, as long as the groove portions are provided in a range including the first sliding region A1 and the second sliding region A2 in a rotation axis line direction of thesecond transmission member 632, the groove portions need not be extended throughout the entire region of the outer peripheral surface of thesecond fixing shaft 613 in the thrust direction, unlike in the first embodiment. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to inhibit the lubricant held in the groove portions from flowing out in the thrust direction. - Referring to
FIGS. 12A to 13 , a description will be given of a drive transmission mechanism according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 12A is a perspective view of thedrive transmission mechanism 60 in the present embodiment.FIG. 12B is an exploded view of thedrive transmission mechanism 60 in the present embodiment.FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of thedrive transmission mechanism 60 in the present embodiment. - Note that, in the fourth embodiment, a description of configurations common to those in the embodiments described above is omitted by assigning the same reference sings as those in the embodiments described above. In the fourth embodiment, matters not particularly described herein are the same as those in the embodiments described above.
- As illustrated in
FIGS. 12A to 13 , in the present embodiment, thesecond transmission member 632 is provided with thesecond fixing shaft 613. In addition, thebase 611 is provided with theshaft hole 632 a, thefirst groove portion 621 a, and thesecond groove portion 621 b. According to the present embodiment, no groove portion is provided in thesecond fixing shaft 613, and therefore it is possible to inhibit a reduced strength of thesecond fixing shaft 613. Note that, in the present embodiment, thesecond transmission member 632 may also be an integrally molded product of the gear portion and the fixing shaft using the polymer material mentioned above. - In each of the embodiments described above, the
first transmission member 631 may also be a gear that is directly connected to the drive source to rotate. At that time, forces acing on thesecond transmission member 632 are the same as those illustrated inFIGS. 7A and 7B . - The individual embodiments described above have respective configurations which can be combined with each other.
- While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
- This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-208731, filed on Dec. 26, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Claims (15)
1. A drive transmission mechanism for use in a recording apparatus, the drive transmission mechanism comprising:
a drive source;
a first transmission member that is rotated by a drive force from the drive source;
a second transmission member that receives the drive force from the first transmission member so as to be rotated in a first direction and in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
a third transmission member that receives the drive force from the second transmission member so as to be rotated; and
a support member inserted through a shaft hole of the second transmission member and having an outer peripheral surface, which includes a first region that receives a first pressing force from the second transmission member rotated in the first direction and which includes a second region that receives a second pressing force from the second transmission member rotated in the second direction,
wherein the support member has a groove disposed on an upstream side of the first region in the first direction and on an upstream side of the second region in the second direction.
2. The drive transmission mechanism according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first region is formed as a result of decentering of the shaft hole in a third direction with respect to the support member due to an action of a resultant force of a force acting from the first transmission member rotated in the first direction on the second transmission member and a force acting from the third transmission member on the second transmission member, and
wherein the second region is formed as a result of decentering of the shaft hole in a fourth direction reverse to the third direction with respect to the support member due to an action of a resultant force of a force acting from the first transmission member rotated in the second direction on the second transmission member and a force acting from the third transmission member on the second transmission member.
3. The drive transmission mechanism according to claim 1 ,
wherein the support member includes:
a support shaft inserted through the shaft hole; and
a base portion that supports the support shaft,
wherein an outer peripheral surface of the support shaft includes:
a first peripheral surface having a first diameter and being on a leading end side of the support shaft; and
a second peripheral surface having a second diameter larger than the first diameter and being on further toward a root side of the support shaft than the first peripheral surface, and
wherein the groove is provided in the first peripheral surface.
4. The drive transmission mechanism according to claim 3 ,
wherein the second region gradually increases in diameter to be connected to the base portion.
5. The drive transmission mechanism according to claim 3 ,
wherein the support member is made of a resin material, and the support shaft and the base portion are integrally molded.
6. A drive transmission mechanism for use in a recording apparatus, the drive transmission mechanism comprising:
a drive source;
a first transmission member that is rotated by a drive force from the drive source;
a second transmission member that receives the drive force from the first transmission member so as to be rotated in a first direction and in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
a third transmission member that receives the drive force from the second transmission member so as to be rotated; and
a support member having a shaft hole through which a rotation shaft of the second transmission member is inserted, the shaft hole having an inner peripheral surface, which includes a first region that receives a first pressing force from the second transmission member rotated in the first direction and which includes a second region that receives a second pressing force from the second transmission member rotated in the second direction,
wherein the shaft hole has a groove disposed on an upstream side of the first region in the first direction and on an upstream side of the second region in the second direction.
7. The drive transmission mechanism according to claim 6 ,
wherein the first region is formed as a result of decentering of the rotation shaft in a third direction with respect to the shaft hole due to an action of a resultant force of a force acting from the first transmission member rotated in the first direction on the second transmission member and a force acting from the third transmission member on the second transmission member, and
wherein the second region is formed as a result of decentering of the rotation shaft in a fourth direction reverse to the third direction with respect to the shaft hole due to an action of a resultant force of a force acting from the first transmission member rotated in the second direction on the second transmission member and a force acting from the third transmission member on the second transmission member.
8. The drive transmission mechanism according to claim 6 ,
wherein the second transmission member is made of a resin material.
9. The drive transmission mechanism according to claim 1 ,
wherein the groove extends in a direction along a rotation axis line of the second transmission member.
10. The drive transmission mechanism according to claim 1 ,
wherein the groove is provided in plurality.
11. The drive transmission mechanism according to claim 1 ,
wherein the groove is provided so as to include the first region and the second region in a direction along a rotation axis line of the second transmission member.
12. The drive transmission mechanism according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the first transmission member, the second transmission member, and the third transmission member is a gear.
13. A recording apparatus comprising:
a recording portion that records an image on a sheet;
a conveying portion that conveys the sheet; and
the drive transmission mechanism according to claim 1 ,
wherein the drive transmission mechanism transmits a drive force from the conveying portion.
14. The recording apparatus according to claim 13 , further comprising:
a sheet feeding portion that feeds the sheet to the conveying portion,
wherein the conveying portion has a conveyance roller for conveying the sheet, and
wherein the drive transmission mechanism transmits the drive force from the conveyance roller to the sheet feeding portion.
15. The recording apparatus according to claim 14 ,
wherein, in a case where the second transmission member is rotated in the first direction, the conveyance roller is rotated so as to convey the sheet in a direction reverse to a conveyance direction, and
wherein, in a case where the second transmission member is rotated in the second direction, the conveyance roller is rotated so as to convey the sheet in the conveyance direction.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP2022-208731 | 2022-12-26 | ||
JP2022208731A JP2024092645A (en) | 2022-12-26 | 2022-12-26 | Drive transmission mechanism and recording device equipped with drive transmission mechanism |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20240209920A1 true US20240209920A1 (en) | 2024-06-27 |
Family
ID=91584207
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US18/391,535 Pending US20240209920A1 (en) | 2022-12-26 | 2023-12-20 | Drive transmission mechanism and recording apparatus including drive transmission mechanism |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20240209920A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2024092645A (en) |
-
2022
- 2022-12-26 JP JP2022208731A patent/JP2024092645A/en active Pending
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2023
- 2023-12-20 US US18/391,535 patent/US20240209920A1/en active Pending
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JP2024092645A (en) | 2024-07-08 |
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